A curious sea lion approaches me underwater while diving off the Galapagos Islands. Sea lions, sea turtles, whales and dolphins are just a few ocean denizens who will benefit from tomorrow's cleanup.
Tomorrow—Saturday September 25—is Ocean Conservancy’s 25th Annual International Coastal Clean-up. Each year, more than 500,000 people participate in 100 countries around the globe to collect MILLIONS of pounds of disgusting and dangerous trash!
There are a gazillion cleanup sites in Southern California alone. Imagine all the red dots around the world!
Some volunteers scuba dive, but most simply walk beaches and waterways, removing garbage along the shoreline. This grassroots program makes a substantial impact on aquatic habitats—improving the health of oceans, rivers and lakes, improving the health of fish and other creatures, and ultimately improving the health of humans who depend on water and wildlife for our own survival.
There are cleanup crews in almost every state and it’s not too late to participate. Just click the link to find your closest location and join the team for this special effort: http://www.oceanconservancy.org/site/PageServer?pagename=icc_about.
Last year, Kevin and I participated right here in Arizona by scuba diving in Lake Pleasant. Although the visibility was terrible and we had to link arms to stay together, we filled our bag with tangles of fishing line, discarded bottles, cups and cans, broken sunglasses, lost shoes, and several algae covered golf balls. It was fun! And a refreshing way to pass a hot desert day.
Hope to see you at the beach!